2026 General Election: November 3, 2026. New info launches early October.
CABARRUS
COUNTY
Photos: Michael A. Anderson Photography
Federal
U.S. Senate
U.S. Senators serve six-year terms. There are six Democrats and seven Republicans running for this office, including former N.C. Governor Roy Cooper and former Republican party chair Michael Whatley. This is a complete list of the roles and responsibilities of the U.S. Senate.
Democrat
Republican
U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. House of Representatives members are elected every two years. This includes a detailed description of the responsibilities of members of Congress.
Democrat
Republican
No candidates on ballot.
State
N.C. General Assembly
The entire North Carolina state legislature (officially the General Assembly which includes both N.C. Senate and N.C. House of Representatives) is up for election every two years. All offices will be on the ballot in the general election in November but for Cabarrus County voters, only N.C. Senate District 34 and N.C. House District 73 will appear on the primary ballot. The key roles of the General Assembly are to determine the state tax rate, determine the state’s budget and create state laws.
N.C. Senate Map
N.C. House Map
Democrat
No candidates on ballot.
Republican
N.C. Statewide Judicial Offices
The terms for the N.C. Supreme Court and the N.C. Appeals Court are eight years. Two of the N.C. Appeals Court seats will appear on primary ballots in 2026.
Democrat
Republican
Municipal
Cabarrus Local Government Roles
Cabarrus County voters will select members of the county's Board of Commissioners and Board of Education in 2026. Two of those races will appear on primary ballots.
Democrat
No candidates on ballot.
Republican
Other Local Government Roles
The city of Kannapolis has one of the few city school systems in North Carolina. It is a separate entity than Cabarrus County Schools. The two candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be elected to the Kannapolis Board of Education for Area 1. This is a nonpartisan race.
Nonpartisan
What is a primary?
A primary election is a “run-off” where contestants from one political party compete. The winner of a primary will be on the ballot for the general election. If there is only one contestant from a political party running, there will not be a primary for that party for that race.
Can anyone vote in a primary?
North Carolina has partisan primaries that are open to unaffiliated voters. Any registered Democratic, Republican or unaffiliated voter can vote in this North Carolina primary. Specifically, registered Republicans and registered Democrats can only vote in their party’s primary. Unaffiliated voters can select which primary they want to vote in. That said, other voters registered with third parties (e.g. Libertarian, Green Party, No Labels) are not eligible to vote in this primary.
Why is voting in primaries important?
In general, voter participation rates for primaries are much lower than for general elections. On average across North Carolina, fewer than 20% of voters voted in the last midterm primary in 2022. When a minority of voters vote, the voice of a community or region is not reflected in results. Furthermore, because certain regions are heavily skewed toward a single political party, the only meaningful choice that voters have to hold elected officials to account is during primaries.
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